New European Songbook: The Concerts

The New European Songbook is an international creative collaboration that celebrates the new sounds arising from a continent in flux. At this year’s EIF, established UK artists like Karine Polwart and Matthew Herbert joined fellow European artists, and others recently arrived on the continent, for two nights of new music.

These New European Songbook concerts were presented as part of the Edinburgh International Festival and British Council season Spirit of '47.

Complex and changing currents of migration are creating new musical encounters and bringing influences from beyond Europe’s limits.

Six European countries have united their diverse musical talents to co-produce a truly unique project

People travel from near and far to re-settle for reasons to do with economics, politics, personal safely and relationships – and with them, they carry instruments and mastery of musical genres and repertoires unknown in their new homes.

The European Broadcasting Union initiated this international creative collaboration, in which each participating broadcaster commissioned a new song and music film from a well-known local musician and a newly settled musician that explores and blends both traditions. Seven nations took part and, in the UK, BBC Arts Digital and BBC Radio 3 commissioned two songs to form part of the Songbook.

One local artist and one newly-settled artist from Germany, Austria, France, Portugal, Switzerland, and two from the UK, combined their varied musical abilities to create a music video that showcases their individual experiences.

Watch the music videos using the links below.

Syrian singer Rasha Rizk

Ghanaian musician and composer Naa Densua Tordzro

Austria
Austrian pop artist and Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst with Syrian trio Basalt
France
15 musicians from the Orpheus XXI artistic action project come together to make music
Germany
Violinist Shalan Alhamwy and fellow Syrian vocalist Rasha Rizk with German pianist Benyamin Nuss
Portugal
Portuguese Fado singer Carolina with Argentinian jazz musician Demian Cabaud
Switzerland
Swiss pop and jazz artist Scilla Hess with Albanian composer and pianist Markelian Kapidani
UK / Naa Densua and Karine
Ghanaian multi-genre artist Naa Densua Tordzro with Scottish singer, songwriter and composer Karine Polwart
UK / Matthew and Arian
Prolific UK music producer and artist Matthew Herbert with Iranian fusion musician Arian Sadr
The Concerts
Brand-new collaborations, performed for the first time at Edinburgh International Festival